Im looking at buying a used rig and the container was made in 95 and the main canopy was made in 97, is that too old? I emailed and asked about jump numbers as the ad didnt have any listed, ill throw those up once he replies. In any case whats your general rule of thumb to determine if something is too old to jump?

Depends on the condition and design. I just bought a canopy made in 1995 and am happy with it; my container was made in 1999 (bought in 2003), and I expect to keep jumping it for a long time.

But if you bought something that was outdated then, well, it's more outdated now. Need to know what you're looking at, and a local experienced instructor or rigger is the best person -- they can actually talk to you in person, look at the gear (if it's local), and help you more.

The first hurdle with any used gear is that it needs to pass a riggers inspection for being 'airworthy'. It doesn't matter how old a rig is, if it doesn't pass the inspection you won't be able to get the reserve packed. Your best bet is to have the same rigger you expect to pack the rig do the inspection, because not all of them have the same definition of 'airworthy'.

Let's say that everything you're looking at is airworthy, the problem you run into with age is the function. Not all rigs in 1995 were 'freefly friendly', meaning that they don't work well for anything but RW. Back before freeflying, pin covers and riser covers weren't designed to to stay shut against the direct and extended exposure to the high speed airstream. If you attempt to freefly with these rigs, you stand a good chance that the covers will blow open, and then who knows what could happen after that.

Some rigs were better than others, but you really need something a little newer to be sure that it's going to be freefly friendly. Even if you don't plan to freefly, the increased protection provided by a freefly friendly rig is worth the extra money. Pretty much by the year 2000 all rigs were freefly freindly, so if you're looking at anything older than that, make sure you ask your rigger before you have anything shipped to him for an inspection if the rig is even worth the trouble and cost of the inspection.

It terms of the main, you can jump anything you want. There is no inspection required for a main canopy, but keep in mind that a new set of lines can run you $300, and holes or worn areas on the fabric can also be expensive to patch, so an inspection is a good idea. Also, there were some canopies that were 'not that great' over the years, and it would suck to get stuck with one of those, so again, check with your rigger early on in the process to make sure you're looking at 'good' gear.

Im looking at buying a used rig and the container was made in 95 and the main canopy was made in 97, is that too old? I emailed and asked about jump numbers as the ad didnt have any listed, ill throw those up once he replies. In any case whats your general rule of thumb to determine if something is too old to jump?